How to Set up a 3D Printer for the First Time

Whether you just brought home your first 3D printer or Santa left one under your Christmas tree, you’re probably wondering how to set it up. If this is your first time playing with a 3D printer, don’t worry — we’ve got you covered. Here are some tips and tricks to help you learn how to set up a 3D printer the first time. Plus, we’ve included a few ideas of printing projects to try out once you get everything up and running.

What Type of Kit Do You Have?

First, what type of 3D printing kit do you have? Most kits come in one of three styles — pre-assembled, partially assembled or DIY. The type of printing kit you have will determine how much work it will take to set it up. Pre-assembled kits are ready to use right out of the box. While they might need a little bit of setup before you can start printing — which we’ll talk about more in a minute — they’re generally plug-and-play ready.

Partially assembled kits are usually split right down the middle and packaged to save space. You’ll typically need to bolt them together and make a few electrical connections before your new printer is ready to use. DIY kits take quite a bit more assembly and will likely take you longer. Once you know what type of kit you have, move on to the next step of how to set up a 3D printer.

Follow the Instructions

This step might seem like common sense, but it bears repeating: Make sure you read the assembly and setup instructions. Take the time to read through them thoroughly before you start making connections or putting things together. Don’t try to set up anything or start playing with the printer until you have all the information possible. Right out of the box, it’s essential to read the instructions. Once you have everything assembled and calibrated, you won’t have to do a lot of tweaking.

This advice is especially crucial if you’ve got a partially assembled or DIY kit. Part of knowing how to set up a 3D printer is making sure to connect all your wires, balance the device and secure it before you try to print anything.

Don’t Assume It’s Already Calibrated

If you have a fully or partially assembled 3D printer, you might feel tempted to start printing as soon as you hook it up to your computer. However, you might end up wasting a lot of filament by assuming your printer is already fully calibrated. Even if it’s supposed to come calibrated and ready to use, things can get knocked out of alignment during shipping. If you’re too rough with it when you take it out of the box things can also get misaligned.

Luckily, calibration instructions should be a section in your instruction manual. Go over them and make sure to properly calibrate everything before you click that print button. Mild calibration errors might not cause problems, but significant errors could damage your equipment. Don’t print with an uncalibrated machine.

Make Sure Everything Is Square and Level

For this step, you’ll want to break out a level and T-square or other similar tools. If the frame isn’t square and the printing bed isn’t level, everything will end up crooked and lopsided. Unlevel machines could also lead to the hot print head, the thing that melts the plastic filament, melting into the print bed. Any way you look at it, printing without a square and level printer will be a giant mess.

You don’t need a lot of extra tools to ensure everything is squared away, but if the print bed isn’t level, there aren’t a lot of ways to fix it, short of ordering a new printing bed and starting from scratch. Some printers will come with an option to adjust the level of the print bed, so again — check your instructions.

Lubricate Everything Sufficiently

3D printers have so many moving parts that adequate lubrication is essential for regular operation. Check your owner’s manual or setup instructions to find out what kind of lubricant you should be using, as well as your maintenance schedule. It’s one of those questions that if you ask 10 different people, you’ll get 10 different answers. Therefore, it’s always best to refer to your owner’s manual.

Before you start printing, slide the print head along the axles and manipulate the other moving parts to ensure that everything moves smoothly. There shouldn’t be any griding. You’ll notice if there’s a problem, and it’s always better to find out before you’ve started printing.

Choose a Design

Setup is complete and you have everything ready to print. Once you’ve The next thing you need to do is choose and create a design. You can make nearly anything with a 3D printer — from a tripod for your phone to a bag hook so you can carry in all your groceries in one trip. There are plenty of options available for free online for you to choose from, or you can create designs in a CAD program.

It might be easier to ask what you can’t make with a 3D printer than to list what you can create with these devices. You can make everything from guitars and camera lenses to 3D printed models of anything you can scan. This could even include a working gun if you’ve got the right supplies. Even NASA uses 3D printers to send patterns for specialized tools to astronauts on the International Space Station.

Finally — Print!

Finally, once you’ve got everything set up and chosen your design, all that’s left to do is click print! 3D printing projects can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days to complete, so be patient. All your hard work will be worth it.

If you opt to subscribe to to the Schooled By Science Newsletter, your email address will only be used to send you my newsletter, and at any time you may unsubscribe. For more information, see my Privacy Policy.

Megan Ray Nichols is a freelance science writer and science enthusiast. Her favorite subjects include astronomy and the environment. Megan is also a regular contributor to The Naked Scientists, Thomas Insights, and Real Clear Science. When she isn't writing, Megan loves watching movies, hiking, and stargazing.

Welcome!

Schooled By Science is not just a science blog. It is a space blog, environment blog, chemistry blog, manufacturing & engineering blog. Whether you are a teacher looking for an article to clearly explain how to read the periodic table of elements for a class, a student looking for further explanation on a complex subject such as string theory, an industry professional looking for the latest update on technology, or just someone with a passion for science, you will find everything you are looking for at Schooled By Science.

I believe that starting conversations with someone is the best way to learn new things. I welcome you to join the discussion. Subscribe now to read new posts every Tuesday & Thursday!

Connect on LinkedIn

Pages

Social

Keep In Touch

We've updated our privacy policy to make it clearer how we use your personal data, including how we use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies.OkPrivacy policy